Bearcats freshman forward Quadri Moore, who was ranked among the nation’s top 150 players by Rivals, Scout and ESPN coming out of Linden High School in New Jersey, has been suspended from the team. According to the school’s press release, Coach Cronin had this to say:
“We have standards both athletically and academically in our program that Quadri is not meeting. It is my hope that Quadri will take this time to make the adjustments he needs to make in order to be a Bearcat again.”
This season Moore has played in 21 games without starting. So far, he is averaging 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.4 minutes. But his contributions to the team exceed his numbers. Because he has a big body, he has provided a much-needed breather to UC’s starting twin towers (Ellis and Clark), a contribution that should not be underestimated. For now, DeBerry looks to capture those extra minutes, and provide second line support in critical games. Be that as it may, Moore stands 6’8″ tall and weighs 230 lbs., and the Bearcats simply do not have anyone else on their roster to quickly step into his shoes. It will be interesting to see how the Bearcats strategize around this new hole in their line-up going forward.
We hope he gets his act together and returns to the Bearcats soon. It’s no easy task to make the jump from high school to college, let alone transitioning from New Jersey to Cincinnati. He’s not the first player on the Bearcats’ roster to struggle with the early transition. Recall that current star Octavius Ellis had a similar issue and has returned to this team and averages 9.4 points and 7.1 boards in 29 minutes per game. Maybe there is some behind-the-scenes mentoring taking place between Ellis and Moore. At least one can hope.
By Andy Smith